A Cotswolds supermarket is claiming a UK first by being the first major retailer to make itmandatory for suppliers to tell shoppers where their ingredients are sourced from.
The Midcounties Co-operative in Bourton-on-the-Water, Gloucestershire, is making itcompulsory for suppliers to prove and publish where they source their ingredients fromin a bid todeliver consumer transparency through the food chain.
The food retailer is working with Happerley, whose objective is to 'develop and implement a means to secure provenance, honesty and transparency, and empower the consumer to know the journey of their food.'
The supermarket said the vast majority of suppliers to its ‘Best of our Counties’ rangeare already going through the Happerley accreditation process, but warned it would review its relationship with any suppliers that decline to have their ingredient supply chain audited and published for public scrutiny. It added that the initiative has been warmly embraced by the supply base.
Happerley QR codes will be available at point of sale across the store’s entire Best of our Counties range, ahead of a wider roll-out across hundreds of stores.
Midcounties Co-operative chief executive Phil Ponsonby said: “Transparency is a core value of ours and we are delighted to have supported Happerley from the start and believe this project will grow and grow. We are 100 per cent committed to it.”
Happerley chief executive Matthew Rymer added: “Food and drink has become one of the most opaque industries where disingenuous branding, marketing and selective truths disconnect consumers from the truth they deserve. Consumers increasingly want to know the impact of their food and drink purchases and the whole industry can benefit by delivering a means to empower the consumer to know the journey of their food.
“It is the hope of our board that Happerley will now become the credible and trusted currency of truth across the entire industry. Moves to take the marque into an independent, not-for-profit entity are now underway.”
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